Former Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Victor Oko-Jumbo, has commenced the construction of a 200-capacity lecture theatre at the Federal Polytechnic of Oil and Gas, Bonny, in a move aimed at improving infrastructure and academic facilities in the institution.
The project began to take shape on Tuesday, March 3, 2026, when a team of surveyors and engineering experts commissioned by the former Speaker visited the institution to carry out preliminary technical assessments for the building.
According to a statement issued by the Polytechnic’s Public Relations Officer, Mr. Anthony Ogbe, the team was received on behalf of the Rector, Dr. Victor Okolobah, by the Registrar of the institution, Mr. Pepple Adonye Emmanuel.
The Acting Director of Physical Planning of the Polytechnic, Architect Dare Oloko, was also present to guide the visiting professionals and show them the designated site for the proposed lecture theatre.
Leading the technical team, Mr. Emmanuel Oko-Jumbo assured the management of the institution that the project would be executed within a short period and would meet high quality standards.
The statement noted that the project represents an important collaboration between public office holders and educational institutions in addressing infrastructure gaps in tertiary education.
It described such partnerships as critical drivers of development, stressing that collaboration between political leaders, the private sector and civil society can help institutions achieve goals that may be difficult to accomplish alone.
The management of the Federal Polytechnic of Oil and Gas, Bonny, led by Dr. Okolobah, expressed appreciation to Rt. Hon. Oko-Jumbo for what it described as a timely intervention to boost the school’s academic environment.
The institution also called on other well-meaning individuals and stakeholders to contribute to the growth and development of the Polytechnic.
The development comes at a time when attention has increasingly turned to the role of political office holders in improving public infrastructure, particularly in the education sector. Recently, the member representing Ahoada West/Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives also moved to intervene in the rehabilitation of a dilapidated secondary school in Odiokwu community after controversy erupted following an online post by a local resident, Winnie Miller, highlighting the poor state of the facility.
